Archipelago (Wereshark Transformation 2)

The wild and weird webcomic Archipelago features a pair of twin brothers--one is a fully-fledged wereshark, while the other is sharky but not able to fully transform. Last August I reported on the wereshark brother's transformation. Now the other brother has transformed, but his form is a lot less...pretty. The TF starts here. 

"Weird," "House of Mystery," and "Tales of Evil" (Werewolf Transformations)

This post is devoted to werewolf transformations from three old horror comics. The first and perhaps best of the bunch is from Weird (Vol. II No. 1, March 1978) and can be read here, at the blog The Bloody Pulp. It's the second story on the page.

 Next comes "Curse of the Werewolf," from House of Mystery #214. It's at the blog Grantbridge Street & Other Misadventures and can be read here.

 The last comic is "Requiem for a Werewolf!" from Tales of Evil #2, and hosted at the same blog. Read it here. Transformation-wise it's a bit disappointing, but it's novel for a twist rarely seen in werewolf stories. Since revealing it would be a spoiler, I'll discuss it in the comments section. Meet you there...

Hunter's Moon (Werewolf Transformation)

Miranda Lee is a webartist who mostly deals with female transformations, but one of the characters in her webcomic Hunter's Moon happens to be a male werewolf. You can see him change starting here.

Pink Panther and Pals (Werewolf Transformation)

This is a pretty neat TF, taken from the episode "Remotely Pink." The set-up: the Pink Panther finds a remote control that can control more than a TV. He can change practically anything with it...


The funniness of this transformation is aided by such comic touches as having the rather adorkable lycanthrope remain totally oblivious about his torn clothing. Having grown up in the suburbs, I wish this sort of thing had happened to our paperboys...

Shaggy & Scooby Doo Get a Clue (Werewolf Transformation)

The original Scooby Doo has to rank among the worst cartoons ever made, but the 2006-7 reboot Shaggy & Scooby Doo seems to cut from a different cloth, if the amusing clip below (taken from the episode "Super Scary Movie Night") is any evidence. And hey, it also features a dude turning into a werewolf! His name is Rusty, and in human form he's even kinda cute, in a very shaggy way (he looks a bit like Shaggy too) and wanders around rather endearingly on all fours. The transformation is quick but interestingly animated--if you pause to look at the individual frames, you'll see that the morphing is staggered, so that it waxes and wanes from frame to frame, giving the TF a shivery look.

Johnny Test (Hulk/Monster Transformation)

Johnny Test is a (rather lame) cartoon about a bratty kid whose genius sisters perform all sorts of scientific experiments on him, often transforming him into different animals and people. Almost all of the transformations are extremely brief and of little interest. The episode "Johnny Testosterone" involves him taking too many growth hormones and turning into a Hulk-like muscle monster, and the TF here is slightly longer than usual.

EDIT: The file was taken down. I'm currently searching for a replacement, but in the meantime, here's a Spanish-language version of the video.

Overheard yesterday...

On Halloween afternoon I was in a cafe in San Francisco and heard someone behind the counter tell a co-worker "I was gonna come as werewolf." He had a shaggy jet-black hair, a short but thick goatee, the blue eyes of a Husky, a short but well-muscled build, and darkly Italian good looks.
His co-worker didn't hear him, so he leaned forward and said "I was gonna be a werewolf."
She laughed. "You would be an awesome werewolf!"
I fully agreed--he could come as a werewolf anytime.

***
Now a note for our readers: expect an update later tonight! How was your Halloween by the way? See any good-looking guys dressed up as werewolves? If so, let us know!

Phineas and Ferb (Cow Transformation)

Earlier this month I brought you a werebear. Now comes another first--a werecow! This is from the Disney series Phineas and Ferb, and occurred during the episode "That's the Spirit." Moooooooooooo!

(EDIT: the original video was removed from the youtube, but it can be watched here at Dutchbull's site.)

Technically, this could be considered a transgender TF, since the werecow grows udders, but I suspect those were mostly thrown in for comic effect.

Pyaar Ki Ye Ek Kahaani (Werewolf Transformation)

Last time we brought you a Swedish werebear. Today we bring you an Indian werewolf--yet another first for this blog. This comes from an Indian soap-opera/Twilight knock-off called Pyaar Ki Ye Ek Kahaani, which features--you guessed it--a vampire and a werewolf fighting over a woman (the werewolf is called Jeh!). The transformation is ever bit cheesy as you'd expect from an Indian soap and drawn out in all the wrong ways. But the weredude is played by the studly Ritwik Dhanjani, and the morphing isn't much worse than what you get on American TV (though the music and editing are). Also, his werewolf form is what I'd have preferred to see Taylor Lautner turn into--a muscly man-beast with a canine head and tail. Now if only they'd shown some muzzle growth and had more of Ritwik's clothes tear off...

EDIT: the original video was blocked, so here's a replacement, courtesy of Ian Ricky.

Luleå Hockeys "Thriller" (Bear Transformation)

Here's a treat for all you hockey fans out there:

(TF begins around the 30 second mark)
This gives a whole new meaning to Nietzsche's phrase about the "blond beast"...

News Update: The Howling Reborn

Though the buzz wasn't good, I had a sliver of hope for The Howling Reborn, especially for the prospect of seeing someone as beautiful as Landon Liboiron transforming into a werewolf. Pirated copies of the film are floating around online; having just skimmed through one, I'll have to add Landon to the growing list of incredibly handsome actors who were cast as werewolves but never given the chance to have a decent transformation. It's a painfully long list.

  The Howling Reborn has very little of interest on the TF front--a couple of minor morphs not worth posting here. Landon's TF consist of a close up of his eyes morphing. That's it. Isn't it pathetic that three decades after An American Werewolf In London, no one has made a real advance in depicting werewolf transformations? Instead filmmakers throw in a bit of CGI and cross their lazy fingers.

 This film was intended to reboot The Howling, a movie famous for its terrific transformation scene, and it harps a lot on the werewolf as coming-of-age motif, so it's doubly pathetic that it skimps so much on the transformations. I suppose one could excuse this by blaming the budget, but the actual werewolves look good (the suits are high quality) and the British Being Human worked wonders on a TV budget, so I'm skeptical. As for the quality of rest of the film, I can't speak as definitely, having only skimmed it, but yes, there was a lot of cheesy teenage angsting and bad music. The film is a dog. It should have been a wolf.

One Minute Puberty (Age Progression)

(Thanks to the folks at Visible Time for the tip.) One Minute Puberty is a witty, wise, and pretty dazzling animated short that is exactly what its title says. It shows not only the physical transformation of puberty but also the mental ones, and how we hopefully come out of it with a richer, reconstituted sense of self. (Lucky people anyway--mentally I'm still a stunted adolescent!). In the video there might even be a very slight nod at the werewolf-as-puberty metaphor when the title character, sporting newly-grown "hair down there," squats on his haunches and runs on all fours toward a giant breast. If only puberty was that exciting for the rest of us...

Tara Normal (Werewolf Transformation) & AWIL bonus

This very well-drawn webcomic features a short but hunky werewolf TF starting here. As an unrelated bonus to make up for the lack of recent updates, here's a look at the storyboards for the transformation scene from An American Werewolf in London.

Haiku Comics (Werewolf Transformation)

This charming webcomic features a very cute TF in the form of a werewolf reverting back into a human, with embarrassing consequences. View it here.

Paranormal Mystery Squad (Werewolf Transformation)

This webcomic features a short but vividly drawn werewolf TF. Start here and then click "next."

Lola (Transgender transformation--female to male)

Having recently complained about how rare female to male transformations are, I'm happy to present another clip from this rare sub-genre. This time it's from a Chilean telenovela called Lola, itself a remake of an Argentinean program. It's about Lalo, a womanizing businessman who's turns into a lady named Lola.
So far so boring if you're not into male-to-female TG. Thankfully, the Chileans decided to throw in a scene of Lola transforming back into Lalo (played by the gorgeous Jorge Alberti), and the TG is almost hulk-like, with clothes bursting and muscle growth to boot. I'm afraid there's not much else out there when it comes to Female-to-Male TG, so let's enjoy this.
EDIT: the original video disappeared. I'm searching for a HQ download of the episode, but in the meantime, you can watch the TG in this lower quality video. Enjoy, and if you see any other female-to-male transformations, let me know!

Zerophilia (Transgender transformation--female to male)

As readers of this blog (if there are any) may have noticed, I haven't featured any transgender transformations here. This is because the vast, vast majority of TG content on the web is of the male-into-female variety and thus geared toward the proclivities of heterosexuals who are otherwise uncomfortable watching a male transform. Well, for my part, I do not enjoy transformations where maleness is erased. I want it enhanced.

Because heteros will always outnumber homos, male-to-female transformations have become wildly popular in the past few years...to the extent of crowding out other transformations. A good example of this is the decline of metamorphose.org, which used to be a useful TF alert site for all kinds of transformation fans. But now the site is dominated by M-to-F TG, and I wonder why the webmaster hasn't changed the site's name to accurately reflect its real interests.

The other thing that annoys me is that while M-to-F TGs have spread like rabbits, female-to-male transformations are far more difficult to find. For whatever reason, gay artists haven't shown all that much interest in the subject (not that I can blame them--I'd also rather see a male undergoing an animal or age TF). Interestingly enough, the slack has been picked up in the least expected place for a Male to Female TF--a movie.

Zerophilia, which is about a teenaged male who discovers the ability to change into a woman, not only features multiple M-to-F scenes, but also a pretty hot female to male scene--the only one of its kind I've ever seen in a movie, and by far the best of its kind I've seen anywhere, thanks to some simple but subtle morphing. Here's hoping we see more gals turn into guys in the years to come.

EDIT: For several years I had to rely on unreliable links to this scene, but now I can rest easy and direct viewers to Dutchbull's site. Click here for the clip.

Blade Anime (Werewolf Transformation)

Blade is a vampire hunter from Marvel comics, which decided to commission an anime series of the character from Madhouse studio. The first episode happens to feature a Romanian werewolf named Radu. He transforms into a blond wolfman, and the creature design is pretty good. The TF itself is shown through (slight) semi-muzzle-growth, hands elongating, and feet bursting out of shoes. As with almost all detailed cartoon werewolf TFs, his back is shown bulging, but doesn't rip through his shirt (that detail is unusual). Though the TF is intact, I edited the beginning of this video rather badly.

Hidan no Aria (Werewolf Transformation)

The 12th and final episode of this (somewhat stupid-looking anime) features a villain named "Vlad" becoming a werewolf. Some people have mocked the show for that, but I'll actually defend it on that count--before the 20th century vampires and werewolves were often less distinct, and in Eastern Europe (the home of vampires) it wasn't uncommon for vampires to also be werewolves. Count Dracula himself was able to change into a wolf, as Bram Stoker fans know. It's only in the late 20th century that werewolves and vampires have been seen as radically different monsters.

And since Western folklore takes its time to spread, Japan still hasn't fully processed the distinctions between Western monsters. When the Osama Tezuka wrote a manga about werewolves, he called it Vampires. Nobody in Japan thought twice. So if the Japanese want to mix up vampires and werewolves, they're actually being more traditional than most Westerners.

Though this is a werewolf transformation, it seems to focus most on muscle growth--we don't get any muzzle-growing or other lupine TF elements. Oh well...
You can watch the episode here. The TF begins at the 06:25 mark.

Ryu Wolf?

It's been a while since I played Street Fighter, but I believe this character's name is Ryu. Some clever person seems to have manipulated the sprites used during Blanca's transformation to make Ryu wolf-out. Whoever that clever artist might be, we salute him.
Edit: Jonathon Ansley comments that "the sprites used are Ryu from Street Fighter, and a re-colored John Talbain from the Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers series. There MIGHT be a Blanka sprite in the beginning but for the most part it's Ryu and Talbain.Either way it's still pretty cool."


Thanks Jonathon!

(Click to enlarge)

The Art of Mamabliss

I've been following transformation online since 1997, and I can tell you one thing: TF artists burn out. I've watched so many come and go that a pattern emerges: a brilliant entrance, several years of productivity, a period of declining workrate, an even more fallow period, then disappearance. Eventually the artist pulls his work from the web to try and erase every trace of his presence. Though I can draw somewhat well, I've never led the life of an active amateur artist, so I can't presume to say what makes TF artists burn out. But they do.

And yet there are always exceptions. One of these is Mambliss. She (or he?) has been producing art for years now, and unlike so many bitter burn-outs has remained good humored and able to put up with the irritating demands of people who view artists as their servants. She's also still as productive as when she started, and--unlike so many people who tried and failed--she's managed to make money from TF art. Her site (linked above) has a free preview section, but in order to see the many TF sequences she's drawn over the years, you have to subscribe. It's worth doing so. Her style is extremely distinctive and sensual--the linework is whispy, the figures funky, the imagery sensual and not for the prudish. For an example, take a look at this freebie donkey TF from her blog.

She also has a free archive site that stores many of her older TF sequences, and these you can see right now. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page. I've picked out some of the best male TFs for the benefit of my readers. Here are my picks:

"Cici's Mount" (Horse TF)

"The Locket" (Horse TF)

"All the Way" (Horse TF)

"Equine Transformation" (Horse of course)

"First Time" (Werewolf TF)

"Seals" (Short seal TF)

"Tutoring" (Very short werewolf TF)

"Renamon" (Digimon TF--I don't usually care for those critters, but some readers might)

Readers will notice a preponderance of horse TFs. This is not due to my own taste, but rather to what sequences Mamabliss has chosen to make available for free. Subscribers to her site will see a wider range of transformations.

News Update 4 (Dutchbull Updates, and Teen Wolf reactions)

Before I begin posting my own stuff, I should note that Dutchbull has once again updated his terrific site, and you should head over there now.
I particularly recommend checking out the clips from Outcast (a teenager to hulkish monster TF--an anonymous commenter notes that the beast is anatomically correct; pause at the 50 second mark for proof) and Le poil de la bête, a Quebecois werewolf movie. I'd planned on having these on my blog, but Dutchbull beat me to the punch. An obvious sign that I need to update more often!
Dutchbull updates every couple of months, but he always announces the exact date in advance and is always true to his word. How many other webmasters are so consistent and trustworthy? Dutchbull's site is especially valuable since Shadowlord Inc. (still the largest TF media site on the net) has been dormant for five months.

There's one other set of new clips on Dutchbull's site that I particularly recommend: those from Teen Wolf. Readers of this blog know that I was a supporter of the series well before it aired, despite the know-nothing carping from other netizens. I'm happy to say they were wrong and I was right--Teen Wolf is a critical and commercial success and will return for second season (shooting starts in November). Though its pilot was deceptively generic, the series began deftly toggling between thriller, horror, romance, comedy, and high school drama. Characters who first seemed like stereotypes ended up as well-developed members of an excellent ensemble cast. The mystery at the heart of the series (who was the Alpha?) was unexpectedly and wisely revealed before the finale, which left more than enough plot strands for next season's story arc. Showrunner Jeff Davis said the whole series was essentially structured like an eight-hour movie and was right. It also looks just as good as one--the photography and lighting were far above TV standards. Lastly, I don't think I've ever seen a better looking group of male werewolves on TV...

...Which means that I pretty much for forgive the show for being slightly disappointing in the TF department. Scott's transformations were quick, and being an omega werewolf, he didn't have all that far to transform (omegas are little more than humans with long ears and nails and gnarly facial features). The same went for Derek. That left the Alpha, who transformed into an honest-to-God wolf monster, but only once onscreen (watch it here). We mostly saw his back during the TF, though there were some nice muzzle-growth spasms beforehand. Mostly CGI too, but of decent quality. Anyway, we have to remember that Teen Wolf has a limited budget and managed to disguise that in other areas for most of its run. I hope that next season they'll have enough money to spend on (British)Being Human-style animatronics--especially since the new Alpha is played by a stunningly handsome actor who I would dearly love to see going through the throes of an American Werewolf-style TF.
In the meantime, congratulations to everyone involved with the show, and best wishes for the new season!

Reader Contributions

It's been a long summer break, but I'm about to go into another update binge. Before I do, I'd like to highlight a couple of reader submissions.
When I announced my last update, I told the folks at TF World "if you have a TF tip-off, do let me know." Two folks wrote in with contributions. From Richard comes a youtube clip called "The Receptionist is Next Up!", which features a gradual werewolf transformation (it picks up around the 1:37 mark).
Meanwhile, from Bamadave comes a homemade donkey TF video. (NSFW.)

Thanks very much for the videos gentlemen. As for the rest of you, if you know of a good transformation that I haven't featured yet, please let me know. However, I should say that I'm not interested in the following: "poof" or instant transformations, male-to-female TG, and TFs involving inanimate objects. Thanks in advance, and stay tuned for more updates this weekend.

Method Shapeshifting with Marshall Allman

This clip is a promotional piece for the upcoming season of True Blood. I've been pretty open about my disappointment with that show--it features several hot shapeshifters but you never see them actually changing shape! Though this clip features only mental shapeshifting, it's still better than anything from the actual show, and features gratuitous nudity from the cutest member of the cast, Marshall Allman! And whoever pixelated his genitals ought to win a medal for leaving as little to the imagination as possible...

Method Shapeshifting with Marshall Allman from Janina Gavankar

Teen Wolf (Werewolf transformation)

So, Teen Wolf has finally premiered. We're now two episodes in, and much as I predicted, the show is solid. The first episode had to do a lot of set-up work and was a bit formulaic, but the second entry shows what the show can do once on thriller-track. The reviews have been mostly positive (the bad ones read as if they composed weeks before the show aired) and the premiere scored well. Unfortunately, the second episode brought in only brought in 1.4 million viewers and a 0.5 rating for Adults 18-49. Nowadays TV programs get cancelled at the drop of a hat, and I do not want happening to a show that shows definite promise. So if you've got a Nielsen box at home, for the love of Lycaon, watch Teen Wolf! It's the only show on TV centered around werewolves, and the second episode shows that its creators are excited about further exploring werewolf lore. If it goes, werewolf fans will have pretty slim pickings. Let's hope next week's ratings are higher...

EDIT: They were indeed! According to TV By the Numbers, Teen Wolf "is heading into its fourth week with tremendous momentum following a 23% increase among P12-34, with a 1.6 in the demo. With double digit percentage gains among total viewers and key demos, Teen Wolf was the #1 show in its timeslot with women 12-34." Evidently they all read my blog! Just kidding. It didn't hurt that MTV reran the first two episodes endlessly. Casual viewers who might have been skeptical realized this was a very promising show.

As for the transformation: since Scott is just an entry-level lycanthrope, his TF is pretty simple and short. (It comes at the 33:15 mark here.)
We anticipate seeing more complex transformations from Derek and the mysterious, yet-to-be-revealed alpha werewolf--if the show survives that is. (Cross your paws!)

EDIT: Derek shifted in episode 3, but the transformation was quick and obscured by a pane of frosted glass. What he shifted into was a beta-wolfman, much like Scott. Not much meat for TF fans there, but revealed the existence of the Alpha wolf, who is far more of a beast. Here's hoping we get a juicy American Werewolf in London-style TF once they reveal the identity of the Alpha (unless it's a female!).

The Super Hero Squad Show (Werewolf Transformation)

The 17th episode from the second season of Super Hero Squad features what might be the first first animated appearance of Jack Russell, aka Werewolf By Night. The episode pays homage to his original green pants and snout-less wolfman look.

 Enjoy, and happy Memorial Day!

Mon Colle Knights (Weretiger Transformation)

You hear a lot about werewolves, but never enough about weretigers. That's a real shame, since they're just as magnificent. Readers of this bvlog can see that I tend to feature werewolves most, since they're the most common werecreature and the easiest to search for. But I'd very much like to get in some more diversity, so let's start with this clip, even though it might be familiar to TF fans. It's from episode 18 of an otherwise forgettable anime called Mon Colle Knights, and features a boyishly handsome chap (with a suspiciously orange tan) who turns into a great hulking weretiger whenever he gets agitated. The werebeast's design (and his clothes-busting and muscle-growth) is so good it makes you curse the show for never bringing back this guy.

This clip is of better visual quality than the one that's been floating around youtube. It's in German, but for some reason that makes it all the more alluring...The transformation occurs at the 25 second mark.



There's no scene of him reverting back to normal, but you can see him post-reversion at 09:03.

Lastikman (Werewolf Transformations)

Lastikman is a Filipino superhero, and has been the subject of several Pinoy movies. The 2004 film stars John Estrada and Danilo Barrios as a father and son werewolf team (or as they're called in the movie "Taong Aso"). The transformation effects are computer generated but not as dire as one might expect, and Danilo is pretty easy on the eyes. Then again, I happen to think Filipinos are among the cutest men on earth, so I'm hardly an objective source...

The specially-edited clip below (forgive the brief visual glitches at the beginning and around the middle) includes the father and son transforming at the same time (through the magic of intercutting) and then shows the father and son returning to human form separately (and much later on in the film). Incidentally, if you happen to know of any other Filipino movies or TV shows involving handsome fellas getting beastly, do let me know...

Werewolf Transformations from Apuleius on Vimeo.

Lobo (Werewolf Transformation)

Lobo the intergalactic alpha wolf becomes a literal wolfman after receiving a mysterious bite... (Click on the thumbnails to expand them)

News Update 3

Dutch Bull has updated his terrific site everyone! Go there now to see videos from the American Being Human and the third season of the original BH, along with clips from a real rarity--an Indian weretiger film called Junoon!

The American Being Human has turned out to be a predictable disappointment in the TF department, by the way. It used to be said that while American films and TV shows were bad, they at least had big-budget production values. Now even that isn't even the case--the British version looks far richer in its special effects (even if its recent transformations haven't topped its first few). But the American version is really shameless--it even cheated its way out of showing a transformation that had occurred in the original!

(Edit: the next transformation in the American version is admittedly better...too bad what he transforms into looks like a giant mangy rat though.)

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (Frog and Pig Transformations)

In episode 38 of this long-running (and frankly indigestible) anime, we see two characters transform into giant pig and frog men. The link is here, and the TF starts around the 11:08 mark.

News Update 2

Just in case you were thinking of seeing Red Riding Hood, keep in mind that the film does not have any werewolf transformation scenes. I have verified this with people who have seen the film. It's a real bummer if you happen to know what happens in the film's last scene. It's also another example of a frequent disappointment encountered by male TF fans: the anticlimax of filmmakers hiring an utterly beautiful actor to the play a werewolf but never putting him go through a decent transformation. Examples of this include the Twilight films, True Blood, The Gates, and the Vampire Diaries.

The Konamis (werewolf transformation)

Another very quick update--a brief spot of lycanthropy found in a webcomic. Read it here.

Fujitsu Commercial (Rabbit Transformation)

This Japanese computer commercial, starring heartthrob Takuya Kimura, features a somewhat rare lapin transformation...EDIT: Robin notes that "in Japan the full moon is associated with two rabbits on the moon pounding mochi...there are even foods associated with the full moon and rabbits."
You learn something new everyday! I certainly hope to come across more obscure Japanese transformations in the future.

Young Justice (Muscle Growth/Monster Transformation)

The fourth episode of Young Justice ("Drop Zone") features a double-deal for fans of muscle-growth. First we see the Batman villain Bane inject himself with the "Venom" steroid and bulk up. Then we see his opponent, a scrawny little guy, enters the ring, get injected with a secret serum, and turn into an even bigger and more bestial muscle monster!

Picklejuice's TF Art (new link)

Picklejuice is quite likely the oldest TF artist on the web. I remember first encountering his work in 1998, which shows you that he was an early pioneer when it came to TF on the internet. And best of all, he's still creating new work. Unlike every other TF artist from back then he hasn't burnt out, become embittered, removed his work from the web, or anything similar. He's a model of perseverance and productivity. With that in mind, I've included a link to him in the "TRANSFORMATION-RELATED SITES" sidebar. I should also note that Picklejuice is currently selling some of his art for good prices. I bought and downloaded his Gavinwolf comic--a 20+ page saga about a guy slowly and sexily turning into a wolfman) for only a dollar. So go ahead and show him your appreciation too!